Yuma Territorial Prison turns 150, kicks off preservation fundraising
Yuma Territorial Prison will mark 150 years on Wednesday as managers seek $150,000 to preserve the river bluff landmark and keep visitors coming.
The Yuma Territorial Prison will mark 150 years on Wednesday, and the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area is using the milestone to launch a $150,000 preservation push for one of Yuma’s biggest tourist draws. The first seven inmates moved in on July 1, 1876, after ground was broken on April 28, 1876 and after the territorial legislature approved the prison in 1875 with a $25,000 budget.
The fundraising effort is aimed at maintenance, historic preservation and site improvements that keep the park structurally sound and welcoming. The heritage area stepped forward in 2010 after state budget cuts threatened closure of two Yuma parks, and it continues to manage the prison and Colorado River State Historic Park under a 15-year agreement signed in 2016 with Arizona State Parks and Trails. The Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park has more than doubled its revenues since 2010, with recent work including xeriscape landscaping and sidewalk improvements between the museum and sally port to reduce adobe erosion and widen walkways.
The prison’s history is intertwined with Yuma’s own. The site sits on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River, three miles west of the confluence with the historic Gila River, and long before the prison opened it had already been part of routes used by explorers, missionaries, military posts and Gold Rush travel. The prison operated for 33 years before overcrowding forced inmates to be moved to Florence, Arizona. Its inmate roster included stagecoach robber Pearl Hart, and some prisoners were pressed into service to build their own cells.
The anniversary will continue with Family Day in Prison on Saturday, July 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature hourly storyteller tours at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., a free ice cream social from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., an unlock-the-puzzle-box challenge with prizes and family activities including “What Was Your Crime?” and “Are YOU Related to a Former Inmate?”
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